“It always baffles me when my colleagues complain about teaching. Teaching is like photosynthesis: making food from air and light.” Richard Powers, Bewilderment.

Teaching

My calling into the rabbinate was very much a calling into transmission. I have such a love of Jewish history, text and language, that I find myself bursting with the desire to share what I know. I have learned from wonderful teachers over my lifetime, and it is my privilege to help their ideas live on and to inspire new ideas in others.

For a full library of Ner Shalom Yiddish Tish sessions I’ve taught, looking in group settings at masterpieces and hidden treasures of Yiddish poetry, click here.

Some of my special areas of interest and expertise include:

• Queerness, gender and Judaism

• Same-sex marriage and Jewish law (click)

• Yiddish poetry

• Chassidic texts and mysticism

• Biblical Hebrew grammar and poetry

• Yiddish linguistics

• Jewish mythology

• Torah of dreams

• Torah texts and midrash-making

• Ancient texts that support us in our present-day challenges.

It's always my goal to make complicated things graspable, and for students or audience members to walk out enlivened and eager to learn more.

Since 2015 I have been an onstage interviewer of fascinating writers, artists, and thinkers through the New School at Commonweal - live and via podcast. Since 2018 I have been faculty and steward for the Taproot Gathering and Community.

The Four Ts: A CHance to Learn some Jewish Basics

Words of Gratitude from college students:

“Irwin was awesome!  He made me so interested in learning more about Judaism. 
I had no idea how deep and cool this religion is.”

“I learned so much more from him in one day than reading the whole chapter.”

“Please get more guest speakers like Irwin.  He makes the religion come alive much better for me than lectures and tests and the book.” 

“I’ve never sung in a class before!!  That was GREAT! 
 And everybody sang!  Irwin is amazing!”